The popular Chesterton Adult Learning Center is returning next month to its
former home at Westchester Public Library’s service center.

WPL director Phil Baugher told the Library Board on Thursday that the ALC is
scheduled to reopen Sept. 7 through the joint efforts of a Regional Adult
Education Consortium and the Center for Workforce Innovations to find new
funding for the Chesterton ALC and others in the region.

“The library’s continuing support was reported to be a major factor in the
decision to keep our center open,” said Baugher.

He noted WPL’s involvement won’t go beyond its former contributions of the
physical classroom space, telephone and computers services, utilities and
custodial services.

Last month the Library Board tentatively discussed whether it should
resurrect the ALC on its own if others couldn’t.

The center provides basic adult education, reading fundamentals, retraining,
brush-up skills, English as a second language and GED preparation for the
high-school equivalency exam.

In other business, Baugher said WPL intends to eliminate a number of
lesser-used databases it makes available to patrons through the library
website. Remaining will be Inspire, Chilton’s Manuals and downloadable audio
books through Netlibrary and Overdrive. Plans are to expand the offering of
published e-books as an alternative.

Baugher said the popularity of the latter format is exploding as more
hand-held readers come on the market. Said WPL attorney Terry Hiestand, “The
thought is when they’re $99 everyone will have one and we’re almost there.”

Baugher said he looked again at providing a music download service but
determined the price is cost-prohibitive at this time.

The library’s website now has a new Bits and Bytes section posting some of
the presentations given for WPL’s popular computer classes. The page has a
schedule for upcoming classes and allows online registration.

It was announced a public fax machine will be installed in the
Automation/Serials area at Thomas Library in response to numerous patron
requests. The machine will auto-dial a company that will prompt the patron
to use a credit card to pay for the fax; WPL will receive a portion of the
payment.

Baugher said new signs are being placed in the unfiltered adult public
computer areas notifying patrons those privileges will be suspended if they
are found to be viewing sexually explicit images, which the library
considers creates a sexually hostile environment for other patrons and
employees.

The Childrens Department’s recent “Adventures on the High Seas” summer
reading program again set a record for WPL with 908 participants involved
compared to 768 last year.

On another matter, while WPL’s property and liability coverage premium will
increase only 3 percent upon renewal, health insurance coverage could rise
by over 20 percent. Baugher said he is looking at various options, like
giving raises to hourly employees but not full-time employees who receive
the insurance.

That discussion was related to preparation of the 2011 budget, which was
adopted for publication on a unanimous vote with member Vern Odom absent due
to illness. The budget provides for a continuation of current operating
hours, services and programs; final adoption is slated for later this year.

Next year WPL is requesting just over $3 million for the combined operating
budget and capital projects fund and an anticipated $453,773 transfer into
the Library Improvement Reserve Fund. The library currently has $6,232,418
in all funds ($5 million of it in investments) with another 43 percent of
its 2010 budget or $1,127,534 yet to be collected.

WPL is saving money for future library expansion and/or the repurposing of
buildings in the coming years.

Also Thursday, Jane Walsh-Brown, assistant library director and director of
WPL’s Westchester Township History Museum, distributed the new Beyond the
Beach Discovery Trail tourist guide that includes the museum, located in the
restored 1885 Brown Mansion.

Walsh-Brown and other library staff are reprising the popular Day in the
Life of Westchester Township, a pictorial shot in the summer of 2007. This
year’s will celebrate autumn and be photographed Oct. 9 throughout the
township.

The Library Board plans to host a dinner for Walsh-Brown celebrating her
employment anniversary with WPL. “It certainly doesn’t seem like 35 years,”
she commented Thursday.

Approved was the
hiring of Lora McMeans and Pam Waters as clerks replacing four who have
resigned.